To be fair to HQAC, they’re often in a difficult position with this sort of thing.
If they just put out information as soon as they know it, then they’re accused of rushing things and not taking the time to check things carefully or provide full details.
If they hold back until they know everything, then the rumour mill tends to get into full flow and people just get stuff in dribs and drabs anyway, whilst complaining that HQAC aren’t saying anything.
to a degree this forum is a form of social media, and it has been communicated unofficially…HQAC have lost “control” of the facts
as we’re seeing on these pages.
although i agree with what Matt is saying, there is a real issue when HQAC do send something out.
Following the link above from theMajor, and the local source i recieved which is word for word indicates HQAC has released somehting.
the nuisance is some, be it regions, Wings or OCs have chosen not to distribute it while others have.
great if Wings don’t talk to each other, or regions or isolated but because of the organisation and the world we now live in that is not the case
this forum proves that - what one user received as general mail, others know nothing about.
what one sees on a Wg Sharepoint site page, others no nothing about
Some see items on twitter and then retweet, spreading the word by default.
although we moan what HQAC release the fact it is not universal is a bigger issue as it leads to rumour
(and to answer the first quote…Social media would be a quick universal way of spreading the news…for example the VGS situation which WAS via Facebook before anything else (in fact thinking about it i don’t recall seeing it via any other medium, only the fall out)…)
I’m not going to post it online, but CCF Contingent Commanders received a long letter from CAC today about the poor state of CCF staff manning and the delay to recruitment of a new Wg Cdr CCF. Suffice to say, any narrative that states ‘the ATC is being run down in favour of expanded CCF’ is a long way wide of the mark…
From the SCC side of the fence:
We’ve heard nothing from our chain of command either (in fact I’ve got more information from this thread than anywhere else!) but rumours are also starting to circulate.
For us (as currently un-commissioned officers) I suppose this is a step up and I welcome the parity with the other cadet forces that it will bring (we do the same job after all). As far as VR(T) officers feeling undervalued - I can empathise, we all commit large amounts of time and effort often with very little recognition and having something taken away is never pleasant.
Interestingly, SCC HQ are currently having a complete review of the promotion requirements and for all adult ranks/rates, which is likely to see major changes to how people progress. I wonder if this has been influenced by this CF commission? Or indeed timed to coincide with it?
Various OC wings have been asked to identify between two and for units to close in favour of CEF expansion units. What do you read from that?
Yes I have heard this about our wing…
This could be an interesting move, I wonder how we ATC staff will be incorporated into the CCF when their aren’t any Squadrons left!
In the ATC we can expect a full brief from the ivory towers on 02 APR 17 when it’d potentially hits the nationals (given the historical significance) the day before with a load of flannel as per usual. Given it will 99th Anniversary of the RAF and it affecting an RAF branch.
If it does mean the RAF having to loosen its grip on the VRT, it will have ramifications throughout the RAFs in relation to the jobs for the boys and girls circus at Cranwell.
I wouldn’t worry too much about CEP causing a dramatic drawdown on the ATC community squadrons in favour of an increase in CCF (RAF). All the things I’ve seen relating to CEP have all been CCF (Army) units as it’s the easiest, given RFCA is run by the Army, to do and fits in better with the shouty discipline people expect in cadet units. In the much longer term I can’t see CEP having any real affect on community cadet units regardless of what some govt oompah lumpah wants to see happen, purely because you can’t see the uptake being very high at all.
If Wg Cdrs are supposed to be looking at 2-4 units, will those 2-4 units be replaced by 2-4 CCF or as in our case if happened to be one of the sqns 3 school units (as we have 3 local catchments) and likewise with other units. When you look at catchment schools locally sqns have between 3 and 8 schools they derive cadets from and I imagine these numbers a, but not 20/30 from each school. Overall CEP will result in fewer cadets of all persuasions across the country as the money being offered as an inducement will dry up and as I recall this money is only available for so many years after which the schools will have to go it alone. I wonder though what will happen wrt weekend activities for state school CCF units, will they change the contracts of all teachers to incorporate a weekend expectation? What will happen wrt to Wings and Poppy Appeal, which normally sees a large number of smart young people in uniform collecting. There are more holes in this that a string vest. Where we are the only schools that seem to have a CCF are grammar schools. The other factor is changes of headmaster/mistress etc who might be as keen so the whole thing dies a death, therefore losing the cadets in that school. In my day schools used to get all their pupils from a relatively small area, but now with the parental choice / postcoding element pupils come in from several miles away, by bus and or mum/dad taxi and I imagine these will be the sort of kids who might look to join a cadet unit. We have now and have had a number of kids from miles away who come to us because it’s where their mates go. Would CEP pay for extra busses or whatever to get these kids home from an after school club? Our 3 local schools have around 40% on average coming from out of area.
This is available to all with a SharePoint login if you know where to look. I thought that while the general content was negative there is clear support towards the CCF from CAC and should therefore be taken positively.
At least you have received an explanation from HQAC for the reduced service you are currently experiencing due to manpower issues, unfortunately this is also the case in a number of WHQs throughout the corps.
I would only worry about it if your unit was in a village or very small town. I share my town with an ATC squadron and one of the local schools has a CCF. I also happen to have the most successful ACF detachment in the company and one of the top 10 in the county so it doesn’t really affect us. The students from that school don’t come to our unit but there are multiple secondary schools in the town so…
Re the commission, the only reference I have seen to it is that new commissions from 1 April will be the cadet force commission. I don’t know what the plans are to switch existing commissions over.
How do you think it’ll effect those on their 2 year probation?
I imagine those currently on probation would get the General List Group B commission until such time as everyone is forced to switch, but I am by no means an expert in such things. In reality I don’t see it making a huge amount of actual difference to ACF officers as it is still a Queen’s commission, just with slightly fewer rights than the old one.
POP - first I’ve heard of that, and I’m genuinely surprised. Next time I bump into OC Wg I’ll ask if he’s heard of this. It doesn’t fit what I’ve been told. (PS what’s CEF when it’s at home?)
GHE2 - you’re wrong that all CEP schools are Army; in fact quite a few are RAF only, and not just Heathrow UTC. We’ve been involved with supporting one of the latter e.g. they have been shooting and L98A2 training here as CEP schools don’t get ranges and armouries.
Hot of the press .
CADET FORCES COMMISSION - LINES TO TAKE (LTT)
• In July 2016, Her Majesty The Queen approved the principle of establishing a new Cadet Forces Commission
• It will be a new Commission designed specifically to acknowledge the role that Cadet Force Adult Volunteer (CFAV) officers perform as national youth leaders, while continuing to recognise the traditional values, standards and strong links with the Armed Forces
• It will, for the first time, allow a level of consistency and recognition across ALL CFAV officers
• Under the new commission, Cadet Forces Commissioned Officers will continue to benefit from many of the privileges currently enjoyed eg access to officers messes etc
• The aim is that from 1 Apr 17 all new officers will be appointed to a Cadet Forces Commission; there will be transition arrangements for current CFAV officers
• Transition will include new Terms and Conditions of Volunteering (T&COV). These will be outside of the Armed Forces Act and Defence Reform Act
• Single Service Cadet Force Regulations will contain all relevant details on the Cadet Forces Commission and T&COV which are currently spread across a significant number of JSP and sSvc publications. This change will reduce the administrative burden
• CFAV officers will be involved in developing the detail of the Commission
• The Cadet Forces Commission is one strand within the overarching Cadet Forces 2020 Strategy. This strategy aims to deliver a progressive and coherent cadet experience that develops and inspires our youth
• Further work relating to recognition of non-Commissioned Cadet Force Adult Volunteers will be undertaken as part of CF2020.
Background
Several cadet-related studies and reviews over a number of years have resulted in many recommendations that have been brought together in the overarching Cadet Force 2020 Strategy. There has been much discussion about the Commission that Cadet Force Adult Volunteer officers hold and whether this should remain a Reserve Forces Commission.
Reserve Forces now operate much more closely with their Regular counterparts in terms of operations and mobilisation and their Terms and Conditions of Service have been changed to reflect this.
It is therefore now appropriate to review and amend the Terms and Conditions for CFAVs to ensure they reflect more accurately the role they perform as national volunteer youth leaders.
As the cadet forces are modernised through the Cadet Force 2020 strategy, and Regulars and Reserves become more closely integrated, it is no longer appropriate for Cadet Force officers to be subject to Service Law and military administrative action as Regular and Reserve service personnel.
Importantly, the new Commission will not dilute the close links Cadet Force Adult Volunteers officers have with their parent Service.
The Sovereign will continue to appoint personnel to the new Commission.
If this is hot off the press, then I think that this statement is a little late for something that is due to happen in 6 months; however lets hope that there are already moves afoot to do this with a group of willing volunteers. This said, I don’t see too much that should cause dummies to be spat out.
Just received this through the CoC, from teh email trail can see that this document was issued to CAC from the RFCA Youth & Cadets COS yesterday morning, so has been passed through in relative quick time 
Not seen anything as yet. 
Just had the same email. Sad day for the VRT
waves good bye to the ATC it was a good 75 year run but someone ruined it
What? Why aren’t you “waving goodbye”? Do you not like the thought of being able to do what you did before in the same way in the same uniform?
This will be the thin edge of the wedge … beginning of the end. Once they have got this established you can see an edging towards a single cadet force encompassing all three, not a multi strand CCF set up and you can see that going as well. All of the CF struggle getting adult staff so having a single cadet force has the potential to give more staff and seems entirely sensible IF a militaristic cadet force has a place in a future society. Plus the only consistent message is one of lack of funding, so again one force one spend and not 2 or 3 all getting funded to essentially do the same thing. Saying schools will be the bastion via CEP is BS, as you will lose the community side ie cadets doing things in the community. I cannot see state sector teachers or school staff doing much at the weekends, unless there are some major re-writes of contracts.
The ATC is floundering has been for the last few years; no gliding, very little flying, annual camps for 30-40 per week and a greater reliance on Wings filling in with camps, shooting has been a postcode lottery, FMS has become harder to deliver after typical knee jerk reaction to something, about the only thing that we can still do with any real benefit is DofE. So all in all something has got to give and if it means the RAF senior officer ATC gravy train is shunted into the sidings so be it.